Sheltered in the foothills 15 km Northeast of tissa is Katharagama. This most holy of towns is a compelling mix of pomp and procession, piety and religious extravagance. Along with Adam's Peak (Sri Pada), this is the most important religious pilgrimage site in Sri Lanka and is a Holy place for Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus alike. IT is one of those wonderful places where the most outlandish of legends becomes solid fact and magic floats in clouds of incese. Many believe that King Dutugemunu built a shrine to Katharagama Deviyo (the resident God) here in the 2nd century BC and that the Buddhist Kirivehera dagoba dates back to the 1st century BC. But the site is thought to have been significant for even longer.